A few people may look at these spy photos of the refreshed BMW i3 electric vehicle undergoing testing and decide that the car looks better with the camouflage than without. For others, who look at the i3 and see a car in which form follows function, the camouflage is hiding BMW's greenest car as it transitions to its Life Cycle Improvement (LCI) version.
The all-electric BMW i3 and the i3 with Range Extender first went on the market with a 2014 model. If it follows the normal lifespan of about seven model years, the i3 would be due for a mid-life refresh around model year 2018, which coincidentally, is when the LCI i3 is rumored to be ready for sale.
The 2017 BMW i3 already received an upgraded high-voltage battery system. While the original i3 was powered by a 168-horspower electric motor drawing juice from a 60 Ah, 22 kWh lithium-ion battery that provided an average range of 81 miles, the 2017 version received a 94 Ah, 33 kWh lithium-ion battery that could push the car for an average 114 miles.
Rumors coming out of Munich lead some industry observers to believe the LCI i3 could have a 200-mile range and there might also be a 200-horsepower "S" model. The mileage figure might be wishful thinking, but then again, it might not. Two-hundred miles seems to be the magic number to be competitive with other EVs for sale now or in the works from Ford, Chevy, Nissan, Audi, Porsche, and Tesla.
More power would also mean faster zero-to-60 times, although we haven't met many i3 owners for whom that was the deciding factor. Range, on the other hand, is very important. The all-electric i3 has been limited pretty much to a city car, which is all it was ever intended to be. The Range Extender i3 provides the flexibility to go farther between charges by using its little gasoline engine to recharge the batteries, so longer trips are possible.
By the way, the i3 in these spy shots is the Range Extender model. The two giveaways are the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" decal and the two refueling covers on the right side—one for gasoline and one for electrons.
An i3 with a 200-mile range, coupled with an improving infrastructure of fast chargers on highways as well as urban areas could make the i3 feasible for longer-distance electric adventures.
BMW has sold more than 60,000 i3s worldwide since its introduction. The company hopes that its EV sales will improve, which might happen if BMW launches a 200-mile LCI i3 next year.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of Motor Authority.]
